A London-based entrepreneur has spoken about her two-decade struggle with debilitating period and what caused it. Valentina Milanova, originally from Bulgaria endured excruciating periods from the age of nine and feared she could be dying of a mysterious disease before she came to know that is an 8cm ovarian cyst, "filled with hair and teeth" that was behind her condition, reported The Independent.

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Years of misdiagnosis

“I was very surprised – I didn’t know what was happening to my body, because no one had had a conversation with me yet about what to expect from menstruation,” she recalled.

“I thought I had some kind of a disease, or maybe I was dying," Valentina added.

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She faced years of misdiagnosis and was even prescribed contraceptive pill at the age of 11. This did provide Valentina  temporary relief, but a few years later the symptoms came back to haunt her.

Only when she turned 15 that an intravaginal scan revealed an ovarian cyst, leading to a polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis - a hormonal disorder that causing irregular periods, excess androgen levels, and ovarian cysts. Later the doctors confirmed it be a dermoid cyst - a benign tumour that can contain hair, teeth, skin  or other body parts tissue, reported the media outlet.

These tumours form when fully developed tissue collects in an odd location like the ovaries.

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Doctors remove cyst

The doctors removed the 8cm cyst but Valentina has continued to experience ovarian cysts “from time to time”.

“It was a relief to finally be diagnosed but the pain did not stop there – I can’t believe it took as long as it did to find out what the problem was,” she was reported saying by media house.

Milanova tries to keep her pain under control through various forms of exercises like pelvic floor stretches, heat cycling and heat therapy.